Fibromyalgia causes pain in muscles and soft tissues. No blood test definitively diagnoses fibromyalgia. However, the doctor may advise various tests that rule out the presence of other conditions.
What Is Fibromyalgia?
Fibromyalgia is a chronic condition that causes pain in various muscles of the body. It also affects the soft tissues. There are around 18 specified fibromyalgia test points. Out of 18 test points, at least 11 fibromyalgia test points should be tender for fibromyalgia diagnosis.
Symptoms Of Fibromyalgia
Pain in muscles is the most common symptom of fibromyalgia.
The patient may also experience various other symptoms;
- These are continuous dull pain throughout the body,
- Fatigue
- Psychological symptoms such as lack of concentration,
- Cognitive problems
- Lack of sleep and
- Memory disturbances.
How To Prepare For A Fibromyalgia Test?
Before the blood tests, you should follow all the instructions of the doctor. The preparation may depend upon the type of blood test the doctor advises. Some of the tests require that you should not eat or drink 6-8 hours before the test. Avoid drinking alcohol 1-2 days, and do not smoke a few hours before the test. Also, inform your doctor about the medications you are taking before the test.
How Is The Fibromyalgia Test Done?
An experienced phlebotomist will collect your blood as a sample. The technician collects the blood from the vessel present inside your elbow. The technician may tie the upper part of the hand with a band to allow easy access to the vessel. Before puncturing, the technician also rubs the area with a solution to prevent infection. The technician then inserts the needle and draws the blood. The technician then put the cotton at the site of puncture.
Blood Test For Fibromyalgia
There is no blood test for a definitive diagnosis of fibromyalgia. However, some promising studies indicate that a diagnostic test, known as the FM/a test, may help diagnose fibromyalgia. At present, the diagnosis of fibromyalgia is through medical history, symptoms, ruling out the presence of other conditions, and following the diagnostic criteria provided by the American College of Rheumatology.
The doctor needs to exclude various diseases that have symptoms similar to fibromyalgia. Such diseases include rheumatoid arthritis, lupus erythematosus, polymyalgia rheumatic, and hypothyroidism.
Following are some of the blood tests that rule out the presence of various diseases;
Thyroid Profile
A thyroid profile test is done to rule out the presence of thyroid disorders. Thyroid disorders cause symptoms similar to fibromyalgia.
Erythrocytes Sedimentation Rate Test
The test determines the rate at which the erythrocytes sediments at the base of the test tube. The doctor advises this test to rule out the presence of polymyalgia rheumatic.
C-Reactive Protein Test
During inflammation, the liver produces various inflammatory markers. The doctor advises a C-reactive protein test to rule out inflammatory conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis.
Complete Blood Count
The doctor may advise you to undergo a complete blood test to determine the overall blood health. The complete blood test also provides information about the amount of hemoglobin.
Antinuclear Antibody test
The doctor advises the antinuclear antibody test to determine the presence of antibodies. This test is to rule out the presence of rheumatoid arthritis.
Creatinine Kinase test
Various other conditions cause pain in muscles. The doctor advises a creatinine kinase test to rule out the presence of those conditions.
Cyclic Citrullinated Peptide Antibody
The doctor advises this test when the patient presents with joint inflammation, pain, swelling, and stiffness. The doctor prescribes this test to determine the presence of rheumatoid arthritis.
Comprehensive Metabolic Panel Test
The doctor also needs to have the complete health status of the body. Thus, the doctor may ask you to have a comprehensive metabolic panel test that provides information about the levels of electrolytes, calcium, glucose, and proteins. The test also provides information about kidney and liver functions.
Fibromyalgia Blood Test Results
The blood test does not provide information about the presence or absence of fibromyalgia. The symptoms of fibromyalgia overlap with various other conditions. The blood tests rule out the presence of other conditions. If all the blood tests do not diagnose any other diseases, the doctor, depending upon your medical history and symptoms, may confirm the presence of fibromyalgia.
Rohit Jain is an IPR Specialist and Medical Content Writing Expert. For over a decade, he has written several articles in the areas of female infertility, Erectile dysfunction, hemangioma, cervical cancer, monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance, mononucleosis, mitral valve disorder, nerve sheath tumor, shin splints, mild cognitive impairment, cellulitis, brain metastases, atelectasis, MCAD deficiency, lymphoma, sepsis, cardiac rehabilitation and metabolic disorder among others.
